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0 Mizuno has released a secret shoes in its arsenal into the market – the Neo Zen. The Neo Zen is marketed to be the provider of effortless running. It is great to see Mizuno coming back into the game in performance running and trying to refresh the its image as a brand.
The Neo Zen is a product that one can describe as “simple”. There is just a single layer of Mizuno’s Enerzynxt foam (Nitrogen-infused), a simple soft knit upper, and a wide base with an outsole that enhance efficiency. The Mizuno Neo Zen is priced at SGD 229 and comes in 3 different colours at time of writing.
What’s Interesting?
The Neo Zen is priced at the same level as Mizuno’s Wave Rebellion Flash 2 which has very different product specifications and target category. The former is positioned as a daily training model that provides excellent softness and energy return. That said, I do wonder if the Neo Zen can also be used for faster pace for some runners.
If the Mizuno Neo Zen is able, (e.g., 5:40mins per km pace), then it reminds me of the position occupied by Adidas Adizero EVO SL. Both took inspiration from their respective brands’ top racing product and without any carbon plates. At the same time, the design cues of both products are very simple and straightfoward. Is this a 100% new development, I think it isn’t fully but it is getting clearer. For example, the Noosa-Tri or Evoride Speed series could have certain linkage to the Metaspeed series. Or Nike where we saw the release of the Pegasus Plus.
Could this be a sign that the evolution of carbon plates in running shoes has reached certain saturation point? Could this be a sign where we now see brands tuning its design and the way its products are put together to deliver on performance? Is this the start of a new collection of running shoes that deliver optimal value for its performance and experience?
What do you think? Are you excited by this new product? Till next time, just keep running.
